The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken legal action against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, asserting that the aerospace company practiced discrimination against refugees and asylum seekers during its hiring procedures. The DoJ’s lawsuit is centered around SpaceX’s alleged false claim that it was prohibited from hiring individuals who were not US citizens.
The investigation into SpaceX’s hiring practices was initiated following claims of bias from a foreign worker. The DoJ contends that SpaceX consistently discouraged refugees and asylees from applying for positions and declined to hire or consider them based on their citizenship status. This purported discrimination spanned from September 2018 to May 2022.
The DoJ has called into question SpaceX’s justification that it was constrained by “export control laws” to hire only citizens and green card holders. The DOJ refutes this argument, stating that such laws do not mandate the restrictions SpaceX allegedly enforced.
The range of roles from which refugee and asylee applicants were reportedly excluded encompassed various fields, ranging from rocket engineering to roles as basic as dishwashing and cooking.
In response to the lawsuit, the DoJ has requested SpaceX to assess the possibility of providing backpay to those who were denied employment due to the alleged discriminatory practices.
This incident is not the first instance of a company under Elon Musk’s leadership facing allegations of discriminatory behavior. Earlier this month, a group of former employees from the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now X, lodged a lawsuit accusing Mr. Musk of engaging in gender, age, and racial discrimination.
